Over half of Taiwanese 5th, 6th graders fail sex-ed quiz: Survey

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) A nationwide survey of fifth and sixth graders across Taiwan has found that more than half of them lack adequate sexual knowledge, while over 20 percent have already been in romantic relationships.

The survey, jointly conducted by the Child Welfare League Foundation (CWLF) and the Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association (TGEEA), collected responses from 1,426 of fifth and sixth graders across Taiwan between March and April. The results were released at a news conference in Taipei on Tuesday.

In the section assessing students' sexual knowledge -- most of whom were aged 11 to 12 -- 58.9 percent answered fewer than seven out of 11 questions correctly, falling short of the benchmark set as the passing score.

"Fewer than 2 percent of students answered all questions correctly, which we found interesting as many students told us that their schools had covered the topics," said Huang Yun-hsuan (黃韻璇), head of the CWLF's Organizational Development Division.

"Over 50 percent had no recollection at all of what their teachers had taught," she said, adding that the finding suggests students' level of understanding may vary depending on how the material is taught in the classroom.

While the current curriculum guidelines already stipulate that school programs should include components of gender equality education, the organizations said education authorities should further strengthen the curriculum content and increase teaching hours for students.

Teaching materials, they added, should be grounded in "real-life contexts" and cover topics such as romantic and emotional development, online relationships, and gender diversity.

The organizations also urged parents to approach conversations about sex with openness, starting from their children's questions and daily experiences, citing research that such dialogue significantly improves children's sexual knowledge and attitudes.

Asked about their experiences and thoughts on romantic relationships, 24.2 percent of the respondents said they wanted to be in a relationship, while 23.1 percent had already dated.

TGEEA Deputy Chairperson and high school teacher Yuan Wang (王柏元) said "it's important to help them [children] understand the concepts that correspond to different age groups, especially in relation to the law," noting that in Taiwan, those under 16 do not have the legal right to sexual autonomy.

According to the two organizations, of the 1,426 valid responses collected, 50.1 percent of participants were male, 48.9 percent were female, and 1 percent identified as another gender.

The survey has a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of plus or minus 2.59 percentage points.